Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Rodriguez is finally fired. Apparently Part II of the second day of the 40th dawn of the coaching world's longest evaluation process didn't go as well as the first four hours of the first day during the 39th dawn.

The next move is still up in the air but this process is officially FUBAR: Fucked Until Brandon Anoints Replacement.

POST-PRESSER UPDATE: Okay, if folks were nervous before, I think many are in that-scene-in-AIRPLANE! panicked now. That presser did not inspire confidence. On the surface, if that really is what it was, it's a disaster. Thus, I'm really hoping that Brandon has something big up his sleeve that he's simply not telling us right now.

However, if he really is just starting the search process today, on January 5th, as he implied, we're screwed. There is no time. I'm sure in the pizza-making world, when you fire your VP of Sauce, you can replace him or her in a week, two weeks or a month and it really doesn't make a spit of difference. But it's January 5th. National Signing Day is less than a month away. Each day that goes by without a coach in a living room - in some DEFENSIVE PLAYER'S living room - is a disaster.

You don't "evaluate" for 40 f'ing days then just start the process. Holy fuck I hope he was kidding but simply can't tell us all that somebody is ready to be named here in a day or two.

Dave Brandon must have lost Jim Harbaugh right at H Hour. Rumored to have rebuffed $5.1M offer. Brady will-crawl-thru-glass-to-coach-UM Hoke is apparently not the best option right now, whew. So now maybe he approaches Les Miles?

What is clear is that Deliberate Dave is going to take his sweet time....Working on a 1980s information timetable rather than our 2010 twittered out world.We wanted old school..we are getting old school.

Just cannot believe that Dave Brandon is that naive. He is creating the illusion of process so that everyone can settle down and then settle in behind the next coach. You saw what happened the last time we went frenetic and hired the first one with a heartbeat...

Nope, he is going to allow some dust to settle, allow RR and the coaches some time to regroup and regain face.

I am guessing on another presser this time next week with The Announcement

Ramona, we were patient. In 3 yrs RR took the winningest program and, as DB even said, gave us the 3 worst years in the 131 YEAR HISTORY of our program. Plus, let's just throw on 3 years of probation for good measure.

Lack of patience was not the problem.

That doesn't excuse DB not having a coach-in-waiting today, but he made no mistake firing a guy who wasn't showing proper progress at a school like Michigan.

IMO, that whole press conference was a "carefully worded" big volley back into JH's court. Whatever longstanding Michigan channels that have direct contact with Harbaugh are now going to put "outside pressure" on JH to get back to AA and take the job. We'll see if it works.

He knows he can get Hoke tomorrow/yesterday/last November if he wanted to -- he wants Harbaugh.

This isn't over until Harbaugh signs a deal with an NFL team. There is also 0% chance that Brandon is just now starting the search process with anyone else - he has a full list of people lined up to make an great BIG $$$ offer to.

This was your standard scripted press conference you could have gotten from any AD around the country. He wasn't going to put all his cards on the table. Reading between the lines, I think UM definitely made the offer to JH. My opinion, which ain't worth much, is that Harbaugh said years ago, "hey, I need a job and i'd love to be at michigan" but they didn't want him then, so now he says, "sorry, you're a little late. that ship has sailed." So DB has, i'm sure, other candidates, but his handling of a "2-day" meeting to fire RR was weird. I found one comment interesting that he specifically made several times. He said he likes to feel that he is accessible and he takes pride in that. Perhaps he is trying to convince himself that he is accessible. Maybe communications with him or his office or his staff are, in fact, a problem. If i go around town telling all the girls i'm handsome, who am i really trying to convince?

PS To everyone at MZone, i just want you all to know that I am always accessible and my door is always open if you want to chat.Never mind my phone number is unlisted and the current email address I use I haven't looked at in.........forever.

Urban Meyer stepped down on December 8. Florida announced Will Muschamp was the new coach on the night of December 11. So Jeremy Foley -- an excellent AD btw -- took three days and got himself an excellent hire that wasn't on anyone's "expected candidates" list.

If Brandon announces on Friday that we have a coach of Muschamp's caliber, then all is forgiven. If he announces next Tuesday that Hoke is our coach, then we know that he wasn't good enough to sell the program to a top choice and has pretty much failed at his most important AD duty. We can call him Bill Martin--giant version.

People, pull it together. I mean really, are you all this gullible all the time? Brandon HAD to say that he's starting the search now - to do so otherwise would have been extremely damaging to the school's reputation. Just let it play out. If we lose a recruit or two over this, so what. Getting the coaching position right is 100 times more important.

BPD/Yost,as they say at the half time show, you can't have one w/ out the other.

i have been stunned for two months now by the wide number of people, both here and at other sites, who seemed to think that we'd fire R2, and "bam"*, hire Jim Harbaugh. firing R2 has ALWAYS meant a public, and potentially lengthy coaching search (* ate @ Emeril's twice- have "bam" on the brain).

i've opposed firing him (and been pissed on for it) primarily, if solely, because THIS was going to happen. there was never any chance that Brandon was going to contact Harbaugh w/ out first seeking permission from Stanford (tortious interference w/ contract). there was never any chance that Brandon was going to seek permission while he still had R2 under contract (potentially biggest PR blunder in history). and there was never any chance Brandon was going to fire R2 until after the bowl (because he said so in August).

THIS chain of events has always been the only likely outcome of firing R2. is it going to be ok? sure. maybe.

maybe Brady Hoke will turn out to be a greagt big ten coach. or Les or Jimbo might surprise us yet. or maybe someone else. it could be great.

but whether the next coach is great or Bob Davies/George O'Leary/Ty Willingham/you get the picture, it isn't likely going to be quick or easy. we were always going to have some sort of repeat of 2007.

frankly, there was almost nothing Brandon could have done any differently.

so, enjoy the firing. hope for the best in the hiring. Brady is probably a really swell "Michgian Man".

I disagree that our current discomfort is a valid reason to hang on to Rich Rodriguez. I'll take a few days of uncertainty now over another year of getting beatdowns from any team with a pulse.

While not especially happy the Brandon wasn't able to trot out Jim Harbaugh as the next head coach, I'm not ready to panic.

I'm encouraged that Brandon is willing to spend some money on the next coach and that if he needs to dig dep into the university's pockets to get who he really wants he can.

I also think a less well known coach is also a viable option and less costly one. I think we can easily get Rich Rodriguez's record here at a fraction of the cost.

I'm also not all that concerned about recruiting and frankly find all the servile fawning and intense interest in what are essentially teenage boys creepy and disturbing. Just look at what happened with Rodriguez's efforts to woo Terrelle Pryor.

I think that in a few years it will sink in that the last three seasons have been the low point in Michigan football and there was no where else to go but up.

Baggy, I don't know that recruiting is creepy.. unless they are gazing into the players' eyes over a candlelight dinner... although, in a sense all of college football has gotten creepy because it's so "corporate" now.Where else do you get your players if you don't recruit?

Then DB should've fired RR in Nov after OSU. I, like many, believed we were waiting b/c there was a plan in place. And there still might be as others have pointed out.

However, none of this was any reason to keep RR. He failed. Period. We can point fingers as to why, but he still failed. His defense sucked. Special teams sucked. And even the offense struggled against the good team. Throw in probation and it was time to cut the cord.

As for Brady Hoke, while he's not my first choice, I don't see how his first season could be worse than RR's 3-9. Hell, I don't know how hiring you or me could be worse.

I would prefer this all to be a crazy charade and have Harbaugh walk in here, but if he doesn't end up coming and we do end up with whatever option Brady Hoke is I don't feel like that's the end of the world. I would feel a lot better about that than having RR back again. Anyone who has an 11-1 season at Ball freaking State can't be that bad. I don't care if it's the MAC. I seem to remember them almost beating a certain then 10-0 team on there own field if not for a goal line stand at the end of the game. Definitely not the first option, but we hired a "big name coach" last time and that didn't work out so great.Again, definitely prefer JH, but it would not be the end of the world.

Where do you apply for the VP of Sauce position? I was told there might be an opening...

Some perspective from the outside looking in, if I may: Alabama coaching search, late 2006. It took Mal Moore over a month to convince the guy he wanted to come to Tuscaloosa. At that point, this state was at DefCon 5, or 1, whichever alert level is Global Thermonuclear - I can never remember. Turns out the patience paid off. Say what you will about little Nicky, but he has turned out to be the right man for that job.

Auburn, late 2008. Defcon 4 (or 2, see above). Auburn AD Jay Jacobs takes oil tankers loaded with shit over hiring what, a Chiznik? Do we at least get dip? Again, say what you want about "The Magic Cam," but look who's playing in Glendale next week.

It's all about getting the right guy at the right time. I know all about it - my beloved Coach Boom turned the lights out in Austin when he left for Gainesville. Felt like I'd been punched in the gut that day, and still haven't recovered.

DB better have something super secret up his sleeve, or I will have lost ANY faith that I may have misplaced in him.

To make matters worse, Drew Assclown Sharp goes on ESPN to say that Michigan is NOT a national program and that we should not expect to get a national level coach. WHY does that F*** still have a job in this state?

Great Balls of Fire... or some other substance.First I will remind everyone that which Catie likes to say. "It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine"Always will be!Sru, You made me laugh! Screw You.On Hoke. I saw his team make something called tackles. Didn't know what that was at first as it had been so long since I'd seen that.On the firing of Rich I will find no glee. I've been fired before and don't much like it. If he was even a bit competitive, he would still be here.If it's hoke I'll root for him as hard as I can, same as I did for Rich.

Brandon saved $1.5 MM by firing RR after Jan. 1. If he admits he's been talking to possible replacements, isn't that the same as admitting that RR was fired before year end? He's handling this like a business man avoiding lawsuits.

I think if it came down to a lawsuit, Brandon could mention something about sanctions. I'm sure there are riders in the contract that if there were sanctions, Rich Rod could be fired. As for the search, I would hope that he has at least been making a list of who he would like. And I would imagine that in that time he's been talking through the back channels.

In a way, he's doing this part of it right because he shouldn't officially be talking until after the respective coach's bowl games.

After watching Dave Brandon's press conference the movie "A Few Good Men" came to mind when Jack Nicholson was on the stand being questioned by Tom Cruise and he looks at Tom and Jack says Please don't tell me that this is why you called me here today. To talk about foot lockers and phone records please tell me you have something more. That is what I want to say to Mr Brandon after watching his press conference......please tell me you have something more. We waited 5 weeks to learn that now....Now... he has decided to fire coach Rod and has made no plans to contact anyone and will start to do so after the press conference. My God the next thing we will learn is that he was the designer of the new Big Ten logo.

Go Tom! It is great to be a Michigan Wolverine (and right now, pretty damn tough as well!)

Ron - That is hysterical.......perfect, that is exactly how I feel, I want to say that same thing to David Brandon, This is all you have to say? And thinking of it in terms of a few good men, that is just damn funny.

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